Hot top and adjustable wiper strips therefor



y 1967 M. E. LA BATE 3,318,564

HOT TOP AND ADJUSTABLE WIPER STRIPS THEREFOR Filed Feb. 2, 1965 INVENTOR. MICHAEL E. LABATE A TORNEY FIG.2

United States Patent 3,318,564 HOT TOP AND ADJUSTABLE WIPER STRIPS THEREFOR Michael E. La Bate, 116 Orchard Ave., Ellwood City, Pa. 16117 Filed Feb. 2, 1965, Ser. No. 429,845 6 Claims. (Cl. 249197) This invention relates generally to a hot top as used in conjunction with ingot molds to form a heat insulating and heat adding extension at the top of the ingot mold which serves to retain a bath of molten metal at the top of the mold during the freezing of the ingot poured therein. The effect of such a hot top action is to prevent or minimize piping and the formation of other defects in the ingot being poured.

The hot top and adjustable wiper strips therefor as disclosed herein has its principal point of novelty in the combination of a hot top and a plurality of movable wiper strips forming a part of the hot top and acting to close the space ordinarily existing between the outer sides of the hot top and the inner sides of the ingot mold.

The hot top and adjustable wiper strips therefor as disclosed herein are particularly useful when an ingot of metal is poured in a cylindrical ingot mold, the walls of which are tapered as customary, and wherein the small end of the ingot mold is uppermost.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a hot top having adjustable wiper strips arranged to prevent molten metal from coming between the hot top and the mold wall.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a hot top and adjustable wiper strip therefor which may be easily and simply assembled and positioned in an ingot mold.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a hot top and adjustable wiper strip assembly which can be preassembled and prepacked and shipped to a point of use and quickly and easily installed in an ingot mold.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a hot top and an adjustable wiper strip assembly therefor, wherein the adjustable wiper strips may be shaped to match the configuration of the inner walls of the ingot mold.

The hot top and adjustable wiper strips disclosed herein permit the rapid and efficient installation of a hot top in the top of an ingot mold in which an ingot of metal, such as steel, is to be cast so that the hot top fits the ingot mold and acts to prevent molten metal from rising into the space between the hot top and the walls of the ingot mold. As will be recognized by those skilled in the art, such metal as comes up between a hot top and the inner wall of an ingot mold folds back on the ingot during rolling and causes a great deal of loss because of the extra cuts necessary to remove it. The hot top disclosed herein prevents such loss by preventing the metal from rising into the area between the hot top and the ingot mold. Of equal importance is the fact that the hot top and adjustable wiper strip assembly disclosed herein becomes instantly and easily adjustable to the particular ingot mold in which it is installed. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the hot tops are formed of consumable material which will retain the molten metal until it chills and sets and then burns away leaving only an ash residue, thereby eliminating the necessity of removing the hot top from the cast ingot. The hot top is formed from four sections and includes means engageable with the top of the ingot mold for suspending the hot top in the pouring opening thereof as is customary in the art. After such suspension, the adjustable wiper strips 3,313,554 Patented May 9, 19 67 are pushed into position by the person installing the hot top where they in effect extend the sides of the hot top into intimate contact with the inner walls of the ingot mold.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being the intention to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a hot top showing the adjustable wiper strips thereof in exploded relation and with parts broken away and in cross section.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical section on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1, with broken lines representing a portion of an ingot mold in which the hot top with adjustable wiper strips is installed.

By referring to the drawings and FIGURE 1 in particular, it will be seen that a hot top is disclosed in assembled relation and consists of four sections of suitable material, such as a consumable mixture as known in the art. The four sections include side walls 10 and 11 and end walls 12 and 13, arranged with the end walls 12 and 13 positioned between and spacing the ends of the side wall sections 10 and 11. The outer surfaces of the four sections of the hot top may be contoured as illustrated in FIGURE 1 of the drawings or they may be plain as will occur to those skilled in the art. Contoured hot tops are used to conform to the contoured inner walls of certain ingot molds, and in the form of the invention chosen for an example the outer walls of the hot top sections are contoured as are the outer edges of two pairs of oppositely disposed wiper strips. One of the pairs of wiper strips comprises the wiper strips 14 and 15, and they are illustrated in FIGURE 1 of the drawings in exploded relation relative to the sides 10 and 11 are of the hot top, respectively. The other pair of wiper strips are indicated by the numerals 16 and 17, and are shown in exploded relation to the end portions 12 and 13 of the hot top, respectively.

Each of the wiper strips 14, 15, 16 and 17 has an integral right angular tab, two of which are seen in FIGURE 1 'of the drawings. The wiper strip 14 is provided with a tab 18 and the wiper strip 17 is provided with a tab 19. The tabs 18 and 19 as well as the tabs on the wiper strips 15 and 16 extend through openings in the sides and ends of the hot top and into the area defined by the same. The sides and ends of the hot top are also provided with elongated grooves registering with the openings in which the tabs 18 and 19 are positioned so that a major portion of each of the wiper strips 14, 15, 16 and 17 may be positioned in the grooves and thus in effect within the body of the walls of the hot top itself. Two such grooves are illustrated in FIGURE 1 of the drawings. The groove in the side 10 is indicated by the numeral 20, and the groove in the end 13 is indicated by the numeral 21.

It will be observed that the grooves are formed in both of the side portions 10 and 11 and in both of the end portions 12 and 13 of the hot top and that the grooves are offset with respect to the openings through the tabs 18 and 19 heretofore described are positioned.

In FIGURE 2 of the drawings, broken line illustrations indicate an ingot mold and the letter M identifies the same. By referring thereto, it will be seen that the wiper strip 15 has an integral tab 22 thereon and that the wiper 3 strip 16 has an integral tab 23 thereon and that both of the tabs 22 and 23 extend through openings in the respective side and end walls of the hot top and project into the area defined by the hot top as clearly seen in FIGURE 2 of the' drawings.

In FIGURE 2 of the drawings, the wiper strips 14 and 15 are illustrated in their extended position so that their outermost edges engage the inner walls of the ingot mold M and their inner edges lie just within the grooves in the side portions and 11 of the hot top, in which they were initially positioned. V

In FIGURE 2 of the drawings, the groove which extends across the outer lower surface of the side portion 11 of the hot top is indicated by the numeral 24, and it will thus be seen that the Wiper strips. 14 and 15 which are shown are capable of being moved into retracted position largely within the grooves and 24 in the side portions 10 and 11 of the hot top, and that when the wiper strips are in such retracted position, the tabs 18 and 22 will extend further into the interior of the hot top. 'It

'will further be seen that the hot top with the retracted wiper strips 14 and 15 can thus be positioned through the relatively narrow opening of the ingot mold M.

By referring again to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, it will be seen that the end portions of the wiper strips 14 and 15 are arcuate in shape so as to extend around the corners of the hot top and thus engage and/ or overlap the ends of the Wiper strips16 and 17 which are positioned on the ends 12 and 13 of the hot top. It will thus occur to those skilled in the art that the construction disclosed provides for the continuation of the wiper strip assembly completely around the periphery of the hot top and thus 7 prevents molten metal being poured in the ingot mold M from rising into any portion of the area between the outer walls of the hot top and the inner. walls of the ingot mold M.

' Still'referring to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, it will be seen that in addition to the relatively deep grooves 20 and 21 heretofore described'and in which the wiper strips are retractably positioned, the exterior surfaces of the side and end portions of the hot top are provided with additional relatively shallow grooves in end-to-end alignment so as to'form channels thereabout in which steel strapping may be positioned to' hold the hot top in assembly. In FIGURE lot the drawings, these grooves are generally 4 indicated by the numeral 25 and the steel strapping positioned therein is best illustrated in FIGURE 2 ofthe drawings where it is illustrated in thegrooves 25 and indicated by the numeral 26. In order that the hot top as disclosed herein can be suspended partly within the open 4 upper end of the ingot mold M, a pair of rods 27 are positioned longitudinally of the end'wallportions 12 and 13 with their end portions extending therebeyond and through the ends of the grooves 25 in the side wall portions 10 and 11 of the hot top. The ends of the rods 27 rest upon the top oftheingot mold and thereby support the hot top while the adjustable wiper strip assemblies are moved into position as shown in FIGURE 2 ofthe drawings, where they close the space between the outer walls of the hot top and the inner walls of the ingot mold.

In the drawings, anti-floating clips are illustrated on the four outer surfaces of the hot top and are generally indicated by the numeral 28. The inner ends of the antifloating clips 28 are embedded in the respective side and end portions of the hot top as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

It will thus be seen that the hot top and adjustable wiper strip assembly disclosed herein meets the several objects of the invention, and having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A hot top with adjustable wiping strips, said hot top consisting of a structure open at its upper and lowermost ends and arranged to be positioned within the pouring opening of an ingot mold, elongated wiper strips positioned externally of said hot top and adjacent and parallel to the lower end thereof and partially retractable into grooves formed in the sides thereof, means formed on said wiper strips and extending into the interior of said hot top by way of openings therein for moving said wiper strips outwardly with respect to said hot top so as to engage the inner walls of the ingot mold in which said hot top with said adjustable wiper strips is positioned.

2. The hot top with adjustable wiper strips set forth.

in claim 1 and wherein the wiper strips have arcuate end extensions extending around the corners of the hot top.

3. The hot top with adjustable wiper strips set forth in 5. A hot top formed of four vertically standing slablike sections of consumable material eachof which has a groove in its outer side adjacent to and parallel with its lower edge, means for holding the slab-like sections in a structure with open top and bottom, andmeans'for clos-- ing the area between said hot top and an ingot mold in which it is positioned, said means comprising a plurality of Wiper strips having integral right angular tabs thereon positioned in said grooves with said tabs extending into said hot top through said openings therein, said wiper strips being movable relative to said hot top.

6. The hot top and wiper strips set forth in claim 5 and whereinthe. end portions of at least two of said wiper strips comprise arcuate extensions extending around the corners of said hot top.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,523,204 1/1925 Howard etal. '249198i 2,741,816 4/1956 White 249 2 02 V FOREIGN PATENTS 371,408 '4/ 1932 Great Britain. 7

919,106 '2/1947 France.

J. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner. E. MAR, A s tantExaminer. 

5. A HOT TOP FORMED OF FOUR VERTICALLY STANDING SLABLIKE SECTIONS OF CONSUMABLE MATERIAL EACH OF WHICH HAS A GROOVE IN ITS OUTER SIDE ADJACENT TO AND PARALLEL WITH ITS LOWER EDGE, MEANS FOR HOLDING THE SLAB-LIKE SECTIONS IN A STRUCTURE WITH OPEN TOP AND BOTTOM, AND MEANS FOR CLOSING THE AREA BETWEEN SAID HOT TOP AND AN INGOT MOLD IN WHICH IT IS POSITIONED, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF WIPER STRIPS HAVING INTEGRAL RIGHT ANGULAR TABS THEREON POSITIONED IN SAID GROOVES WITH SAID TABS EXTENDING INTO SAID HOT TOP THROUGH SAID OPENINGS THEREIN, SAID WIPER STRIPS BEING MOVABLE RELATIVE TO SAID HOT TOP. 